Coronation Street Legend Breaks Silence on 'Dreadful' Secret Child Twist
Coronation Street favourite Sue Devaney has opened up about her character Debbie Webster's emotional turmoil, revealing that Debbie feels 'dreadful' for lying to her secret son Carl Webster for decades. The actress addressed the heartbreaking plot that sees Debbie facing prison and leaving Weatherfield, marking a significant transformation for the character.
Decades of Deception and Overwhelming Guilt
Sue Devaney confessed that her character has been left feeling absolutely 'dreadful', blaming herself entirely for how Carl's life has unfolded. The guilt became so overwhelming that when Carl crashed his car after heavy drinking – an incident suggested to be connected to Billy Mayhew's death in Corriedale – Debbie willingly took the blame.
The actress explained the psychological burden her character has carried: 'This happened such a long time ago, where she gave birth to him, and then watched him grow up, seeing his dad and Elaine bringing him up. And I think in her head, she thought, 'yeah, he is my brother.' It's the story that you tell yourself.'
Prison Sentence and Stripped-Back Transformation
Debbie Webster now faces prison time and will be leaving the famous cobbles, with Sue discussing her character's dramatic transformation as she's confined to a cell. Fans will witness a completely different version of Debbie, including significant changes to her appearance.
'She's so frightened. She's never been anywhere like that. Everything's going to be stripped from her,' Sue revealed about Debbie's prison experience. 'Debbie's mask is going to be gone, isn't it? The dementia is taking every last bit from her, but also the prison is gonna be taking everything from her. And it's how she survives that.'
The Psychological Impact of Revealed Truth
Sue elaborated on the moment the truth emerged and its devastating impact on Debbie: 'It's only when she was told, 'your life has got an ending' that, and he was there in her life, and it brings back a lot of old memories. The truth has got to come out now.'
The actress detailed Debbie's internal reasoning for taking responsibility: 'I think she was willing to take the blame because she feels so guilty. She feels so guilty because Carl has been through such a hard time. She didn't know that he had such a hard time growing up with Elaine. So when she finds out the guilt is dreadful.'
Physical and Emotional Stripping Back
On Debbie's prison transformation, Sue provided fascinating insights: 'It is fantastic. Just a bit of mascara, you know, nothing else. It's interesting to play somebody that, the whole front, the makeup, the way that they look, the what they drive, who they marry, everything has to be on show. So when you strip all that back, it's interesting to play Debbie when it's all stripped back. Who is she?'
The practical changes are equally significant: 'I just give myself some mascara, scruff my hair up a bit. I have a really cheap lipstick 'cause you can buy makeup in prison. But it's not the expensive Chanel that Debbie has. It's cheap. She'll have a little cheap lipstick and she'll have a little cheap bottle of perfume so I'll make sure that I don't put my perfume on when I'm in prison. And the nails are off. No nails.'
Sue concluded with Debbie's self-blame mentality: 'I think it's in her head, she thinks that Carl is like he is because of her. She's made him a bad person, because she didn't bring him up, because she wasn't his mother. So all that guilt, shame, remorse that she feels, it's like, well, I'm gonna take all this, because it's my fault. It's my fault that he's behaving like that.'
